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These are just some of the words being used to describe the awe-inspiring Mighty Men Conference at Shalom last weekend when the expected attendance of 40 000 dramatically increased to 60 000, all of whom found space to listen and worship; a place to sleep; and to eat.

As can be seen in this aerial photo taken by Clive Thompson of Durban, from a helicopter, thousands and thousands of men, tents and vehicles surrounded the biggest tent in the world against the spectacular backdrop of the rolling hills and Ncanthe valley.

In a telephonic interview with Shalom's Angus Buchan on Monday morning he told the Greytown Gazette 'The whole happening was a miracle from beginning to end with men coming all over the world, 40 farmers from the Australian outback, United Kingdom, Botswana, Zambia, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and of course, South Africans from every corner of the country. They filled the 30 000 seater tent two hours before the services started. Angus said that "the spirit of the men was so positive in this negative environment. We are going to press forward on reconciliation and harmony in our troubled country." Prayer and faith will build the future." In referring to the reasons for such a gathering for men, he said that "the Lord laid it on my heart that men are not taking their rightful role in their households and through such a happening men would realise their proper responsibilities to care for the family, their workers and all they were in contact with."

On being asked what the target was for next year -Angus, at this stage, was not commenting! He however,crequested the Greytown Gazette to express his thanks and appreciation to the people of Greytown and surrounds "for their hospitality, for their love towards our visitors from all over the world. Thank the Lord for His supernatural intervention for our conference."

For the statistically minded - the following is of interest:

48 planes and helicopters landed at the PANNAR airstrip of which 24 "slept over."

Foodwise:

1.5 tonnes of sugar

3.5 tonnes biscuits

900kg milk powder

300 kg coffee

25 head oxen to make up the 8 tonnes of beef stew for Saturday lunch

17 500 loaves of brown bread

70 000 Vienna sausages and

70 000 rolls.

As the vehicles streamed into Greytown and onto Shalom on Friday afternoon, the streets of the town became grid locked. Reports of the trip from Pietermaritzburg taking four hours; of Greytown to Shalom two hours; and queues stretching to Seven Oaks and Colenso were plentiful. But the mood was positive - men were wandering around in Durban Street, chatting, buying plenty of cooldrinks, having a pit stop where they could, and then hopping back onto a bus or car as they moved forward. For some, the pangs of hunger proved to much, and groups of men were seen braaing along the side of the roads.

Patrick O' Sullivan, who was traffic supervisor said that the support, co-operation and assistance from the RTI; Municipal Traffic; Department of Roads, Maurice Dladla and Joshua Ngema had been fantastic. Many of the visitors commented on the superb organisation at the conference itself and Patrick said that people had come from all over to help as ushers and generally .

As a result of urgent representations by the Umvoti Chamber of Commerce, ESKOM agreed to there being no load shedding on Saturday night. However, the regional manager claimed "we will endeavor to get the 2 hours from this customer base in another mutually suitable slot."

Many local businesses benefited from the huge influx of visitors - not only the fast food and petrol outlets, but blankets, warm clothing, braai meat, and even tents were in demand! Two young entrepreneurs were seen "working " the gridlock --selling blankets as the temperature dropped. From a small start Shalom's Mighty Men Conference has grown into a happening of enormous proportions which has certainly put Greytown on the worldwide map!

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FROM THE COURTS

Luckily the cold front stayed away from tennis on Saturday, and we managed to get three courts playing with players who were still in town. The new courts have a very solid feel to them, and make the old courts look decidedly old and dowdy. Balls last a lot longer on the new surface, and it is a pleasure playing on these courts.

.Club champs will be held from Sunday 25th May over a 4 week period, and members are asked to please put their names down for as many events as their legs can handle. We have lots of players who don’t always play on the same Saturdays, and hopefully we can get them all into the Champs to create a great spirit and some excellent matches.

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ST CATHRYN'S NEWS

St Cathryns was proud to host the AGM of the Kranskop Farmers Association, on Friday 18 April. The Farmers Association turned 100, and a good few familiar faces could be seen enjoying the evening. It was wonderful to welcome back, Lance and Zeena Turvey, Gert von Benecke, Dave and Cheryl Barbour and Tommy and Corrine van Rooyen. They all seemed to have not aged a bit, we hope they enjoyed their visit here in Kranskop.

Members, fellow golfers and friends are reminded about our St Cathryn's Classic to be held this Saturday, 26 April . All are welcome to play in our big day, and sponsor a tee or a green to advertise your business. So, if any of your visitors over the long weekend have nothing to do and would like to play in our very special tournament please give us a call. The requirements are : to have a registered handicap and R150.00. The format is 4BBBS in tee-off is from 9h30 onwards. To enter please phone Piet on 033 4441945.

The current Grand Prix standings after five races, are as follows - Leading on 59 points Merwin Rabe, three people tie second; Liekie Steyn, Kevin Williams and Duggie Rheeder, third, Rikus Kloppers on 34 points.

Please will all members who want to play in the Midlands Hoopoe, please let the club know, so that we can book our places in the competition. The golf course is appreciating the wonderful rains we are having at the moment, even if the residents are shivering.!!!

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FISHING FEVA

This report is a discussion on Autumn fishing and hopefully will delay you packing away the bass rig as this is the season to go after the big one.

First of all let us examine the seasonal pattern (water depth-location -feeding habits) for Autumn. Fish activity moves away from summer zones e.g. weeded bays, reed beds etc. As winter approaches bass start to feed daily until water temp drops to about 10 degrees C when their metabolism causes them to slow down therefore reaction strikes become more common. Look for bass in the shallows during early morning and late afternoons. Begin by fishing channels and points casting to shore and moving shallower towards flats until you find a strike zone. As the sun rises begin to fish in holes in weed mats. Bigger bass will start moving off to deeper structure before the smaller fish which still stick around the summer spots. Therefore if the bigger bass are moving between shallow and deep water ?? baits become the order of the day. You'll need ?? baits for shallow water-and then deeper colours favoured here are "fire tighter, perch, tilapia, blue gill and redhead."

Target underwater humps, islands, submerged timber and river beds. Don't be afraid to smack the lure into timber or dive into the ground at short intervals to imitate feeding. You can fish aggressively reeling in relatively fast then allowing the lure to float upwards before reeling fast again thus creating a dive and rise pattern. Try far casting with one meter intervals to locate a strike zone and then fish that thoroughly. For your early morning and later afternoons, help the Zara Spook handy or try skipping a load across weed mats or bounce them off the bank for a great top water strike. You could also try lizards or curly tail worms, wing a stop and go retrieve to entice that feeding bass. Until next time keep it in the water.

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GREYTOWN'S WORLD CHAMPION

Greytown's very own world champion has done it again. Not only did Marshall Roodt take the hammerthrow title at the recent World Masters Indoor championship he at the same time broke the South African record for the masters 60 group with a hammer throw of 52.29 metres. At the championships which were held at Clermont Ferrand, France Marshall took the title to beating two former Olympic hammerthrow stars -Heino Viertbauer from Austria (on the left) and Mr Litvinov of the Ukraine. Marshall told the Greytown Gazette that 13 athletes from South Africa had taken part in the Masters and had come home with four golds;two silvers and two bronze medals.

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PLENTIFUL PAINFUL PRICEY POTHOLES

In addition to the usual hazards of driving on KZN roads, drivers now have to cope with the menace of potholes of all shapes, sizes and depths on urban, rural, national, Provincial and District roads Potholes are apparently extremely fertile with the ability to multiply at the twist of a steering wheel. Negotiating a path around these menacing voids is sometimes impossible, so at some stage or another there will be that un-welcome jolt from having hit one.

But what many people do not realise that even the slightest encounter with a pothole can knock their wheel alignment out, causing unpleasant consequences further down the line. “Improper wheel alignment causes the tread on your tyres to wear unevenly; and can cause your car to pull to one side, reducing tyre life. It can also cause damage to your car’s suspension system," warns Thys van Niekerk, general manager of Dial Direct Insurance. “It is also important to bear in mind that driving with faulty suspension and shock absorbers or worn tyres increases your chances of having an accident, making you and your car a hazard on the road. Tyre failure in particular is one of the key contributors in many vehicle accidents on SA roads. Pothole encounters have become a fact of driving in this country -be aware, avoid if at all possible - if not slow down to minimise the inevitable damage. Motorists can claim damages from the agencies responsible for road upkeep and maintenance in the various metro areas and many short-term insurance providers do cover damages caused by potholes.